How quiet

[Walt]

I've been fighting the urge again and I think I am finally getting use to the appearance of the Gamo Whisper. So how quiet do you whisper owners think the Whisper is? I understand you mostly hear the spring when it fires. If I get one, it would at least get a lube tune, including heavy tar for the spring. Quiet?  My comparison is a CDT turbo tuned B26-2. It's definitely the quietest of my collection but it will still draw attention when shooting. I am thinking if the Whisper with a tune is really quiet I am going to try one. Probably a .22.
W

[crazy4salmon]

My Whisper with the turbo tune is way more quiet than pre-tune. I also filled my stock with sponges to quiet down the noise resonating in the stock. I recently shot my father in-laws 440 and the Whisper is quieter out of the muzzle to my ear. I wouldn't go as far as 52% though. Maybe 25%. I would think it would be only slightly quieter than your tuned  b-26? If you ever make it up to the Bellingham area you could shoot mine. I don't think my neighbors have a clue that I whack starlings every chance I get. Got one today with the Whisper and at 15 yards the yellow beak didn't know what hit him.HEHE

Dan L

[Marisol]

I have shot my Whisper in my apartment without bothering the neighbors so I'd say it's pretty quiet.  Definitely louder than the mid-powered springers (Recon, RWS 92, R7) and the CO2 QB-78 but not a problem at all.  My gun is stock, .177 cal.

[gamo2hammerli]

Yep my Whisper is the quietest air rifle in my collection (Look below...) other than the old Expotec and Diana model 24...both under 500fps.  The "twang" sound going through the Whisper's stock is probably louder than the report.

[Jerrycup]

I have compared the sound of my Whisper with that of the B-26 from a lateral position 50 feet away, and it's noticeably quieter. The shooter hears _more_ noise (than the B-26) as the hollow plastic stock reverberates.
And in the end I think the pellet hitting target is a noise you don't eliminate. Subjectively there is an improvement but it's a "whisper" you can still hear pretty clearly. If you buy the Gamo, the stock mount and scope will need replacement (a few report it is OK, most say junk), and when you mount it, use thread sealer on the rails and clamp it like hell. The riser (which has the mount rails) is a thin aluminum extrusion, and the stop pin can only function as a "slow down" pin.

[Gene_SC]

Jerry, how noisy is your CZ to shoot? Compared to your Whisper and B-26....

[davee1]

Thats a very good question. I have wondered about how to explain just how much quieter it is than all the others. It's the quietest in my collection and its still stock. I did fill the butt end of the stock with some foam scraps, but it was still quiet before I did that. I have had my wife shoot it, and then me going to various locations in the yard and listening. I can still hear it, but I'm listening for it. When I went out front I could hear it a little but could not classify it...I don't think anyone would stop what they were doing and wonder"what was that". I've asked my nieghbor about it...he says he cant hear anything when he's in his house and when he's outside its barely noticeable to him. It sounds kinda like a real quiet air stapler way off in the distance. It is definately not alarming. I did some tests with a dB meter and its about 2~3 dBs quieter than a stock twangy Shadow 1000. The meter was placed about three feet away and three feet high, pointed at the rifle...in a 25x12ft familyroom/kitchen. The meter sat on top of the kitchen island. But that was inside. Outside, the results were about the same but the noise dropped off dramatically after the meter started getting farther away from the Whisper. For example, if the meter was across the yard like 15 yards away...the meter barely even registered a sound. When I was around a corner, the meter never picked anything up above ambient sound. I know that much more scientific methods and equipment could be used, but that was just for some quick measurements...but does nothing for anyone I'm sure. I feel comfortable in my backyard shooting it, even now when the leaves are off the trees and there's no airconditioners running(ambient residential noise). From what I gather from reading, once the Whisper undergoes a tune...it gets even quieter. I have yet to crack mine open...because I shoot it every day somehow.

[TCups]

One of the most distinctive noises of all of my air rifles, springer or otherwise, is the sound of the pellet hitting the target.  For everything else you do, if you are going to shoot in the back yard, don't neglect making yourself a silent pellet trap target, or all else may be for naught.  Duct seal putty is a wonderful substance.

[davee1]

Boy, you aint kiddin...my comfort level went way up once I got the duct seal putty thing goin on. Sometimes, very rarely, I can hear a pellet gun fire in the nieghborhood somewhere. I wouldn't even notice it, but its the pellet hitting something that carries the sound around, and then I know that sound. I dont know if everybody recognizes that sound of pellet impact, but I sure do. Its bad enough when a ground squirrel head shot comes back with a snap, or a chestthwunk. That pellet impact sound has got to clue some folks in. A Whisper and duct seal trap equals very quiet.

[Jerrycup]

Just ran an experiment. Calm winds, very quiet out on my backyard overlooking a greenbelt and creek. (We call them that because only the creek bottoms are really very green in Dallas).
Girlfriend positioned 25 feet away, in front and to my left, back to me (at bearing ~ 300 degree (NNW), firing off hand standing.

Fired one round out into the grass of the greenbelt, 40 yds range. Wait and reload.

She rates the loudest as the Whisper .177, with the other two both quieter and almost same level. The Slavia CZ634 (.177) was quietest, and the B-26 .22 second.

From shooters viewpoint the same ranking, with the Slavia having a shorter, sharper ring during firing. The Whisper had been treated (today) with a big shot of "Great Stuff" filling the stock. It sounded some better than before to me, but it had a loud "thonk" that reverb'd from the hollow plastic stock when new (t has a high power spring mod tune).

Gene, I shot three ten shot groups earlier this aft. with the Slavia after remounting (and using Loctite 87 high strength along the rails) re-zeroing the scope, and am getting very good patterns. This is just a great little rifle, it shoots better every time than my B-26 and let's not talk about the Whisper. What a sweet gun, and that Bushnell Trophy 4-12 x 40 is a perfect match. Set at about 8-10X, it is better than my best binoculars.

[Walt]

I thought of one more question. Is the breach block plastic polymer coated or metal?
W

[Gene_SC]

Jerry, it seems your getting that barrel seasoned now..She should be shooting a bit harder as she breaks in. I think she was hitting the chrony numbers around 750 fps. Just about perfect for good target shooting and maybe a squirrel or two.. Glad you are enjoying her.
Springers are like women.. Some are easy and some are hard... Just kidding Peak.., but you get the jest of what I am saying. For your next springer Jerry, I would like you to look at the BSA Lightning XL's.. I know you will love that springer for sure. Not at all hold sensitive and a blast to shoot...

[Gene_SC]

You all have to understand that the Gamo Whisper is 52% quieter when using PBA's... Gamo's marketing department just loves to try and trick us as much as they can. Before the Whisper they came out with the PBA's and if any of you remember there first advertisements on the newer model gamo's they advertized 1200 fps and 1600 fps. It fooled allot of us into thinking wow, new powerplants and faster shooting guns.. But if you read the very fine print it said.... 1200 fps using PBA's and the same as 1600 fps.